Sick baby?
by David Branga
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
Help! Our baby is going to be 2 this month. This week she began "hacking" out of nowhere. Similar to the hack when she gets excited, only problem is, she's sitting on the bed or out for her walk. Also, she has been making little "gruff" or tiny whine noises unexpectedly. Same situation, just sitting or lying there. Some sneezing too. Could she have a cold like us? Any help will be appreciated. We are probably tasking her to the vet Mon if she doesn't get better over the weekend. Thanks again!

DISCUSSION:

David--I think that there are two possibilities here. First she may have kennel cough. Was she around other dogs? If the vet determines that this is the case, antibiotics such as clavamox are really effective. If your vet wants to prescribe metronidazole or brand name flagyl, I would suggest that you mention clavamox. Cotton took the recommended dosage of metronidazole--250mg once a day. He had severe neurologic reactions that mimicked a stroke. The neurologists told us that even at the recommended dosage, it is at the toxic level for little dogs. He said that it would take him a while to get it out of his system. He is OK now, but why risk it when a really good antibiotic such as clavamox is available? Second possibility is a heart murmur. When Cotton was 13 he started to cough like he had kennel cough. It turns out that he has a heart murmur. He is doing OK now that he is on medication. Ask your vet to listen for a heart murmur. Some vets will not tell you if the murmur is slight. I believe that you have every right to know about your baby's condition. The sooner that you know, the faster you can start treatment. Maltese are prone to heart murmurs. If it is a murmur, you really need to see a cardiologist. Cotton had three echos done that were all done incorrectly costing me $300! I took him to see the chief cardiologist at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital in Boston. It only cost me a little bit more than that to see one of the best cardiologists in the US. I don't want to scare you, but you need to know of all possible causes. If you want to talk more about this, email jay and I am sure that he will give you my email address. Puppy dog wags and kisses from Cotton (14)
Georgiann and Cotton